April 29th Show

Cardinal Roger Mahony looks on as his successor, San Antonio, Texas Archbishop Jose Gomez speaks during a news conference at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on April 6, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. In our second hour, NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty talks about a scandal at the Los Angeles Archdiocese where Cardinal Mahony is accused of failing to disclose a confessed pedophile priest.
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Cardinal Roger Mahony looks on as his successor, San Antonio, Texas Archbishop Jose Gomez speaks during a news conference at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on April 6, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. In our second hour, NPR's Barbara Bradley Hagerty talks about a scandal at the Los Angeles Archdiocese where Cardinal Mahony is accused of failing to disclose a confessed pedophile priest.

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Who Is The Tea Party?Tea Party activists often describe themselves as patriots, who fight for limited government, lower taxes and fiscal responsibility. But, members have been accused of everything from lack of focus to racism. The movement is often mystifying to outsiders on the left and the right: it claims a part of the past, yet is very much a twenty-first century invention. Gallup editor-in-chief Frank Newport, New Yorker writer Jill Lepore, and tea partier Mychal Massie each take a look at the REAL Tea Party: what it is, who's in it, and what they stand for. You can read Jill Lepore's take on the Tea Party here.

How To Stop The Oil SpillMore than a week after an explosion destroyed an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, huge amounts of oil continue to flow into the ocean. The blast killed eleven workers and created one of the largest oil spills in U.S. waters. Hundreds of thousands of gallons may be pouring into the Gulf every day. As investigators search for the cause of the explosion, crews continue to work around the clock to stop the flow of oil and contain the slick. Some of the oil may be set on fire to prevent a larger catastrophe and damage to the U.S. coastline. David Biello of Scientific American talks about the origins of the of the oil leak, why it's so difficult to stop, and the tools used to clean it up.

The Catholic Church's Alleged Cover-UpThe Catholic church sex abuse scandal broke nationwide in 2002. Since then, thousands of victims have come forward, and the church has paid hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements. NPR religion correspondent Barbara Bradley Hagerty investigated one case from the Los Angeles Archdiocese where the Catholic church mishandled reports of abuse and faces charges that it protected priests accused of sexually abusing minors. She talks about the case and how the church is handling the accusations of abuse and an alleged cover-up.

Arizona's Immigration LawArizona's new immigration law, signed last week by Governor Jan Brewer, sparked a national controversy. President Obama publicly criticized the law as "misguided," and several parties, including the U.S. Department of Justice, are considering a challenge in court. But in an opinion piece in today's New York Times, Kris Kobach, a former chief advisor on immigration law and border security in the Bush Administration, says the arguments against the law are misrepresentations or simply inaccurate. Kobach discusses why he thinks Arizona's approach is appropriate and necessary.